In some countries, houses are built with a double masonry wall, namely with an inner support wall, made from bricks or concrete, and an external facing wall, generally made from bricks, the two walls being separated by means of an insulation space. During construction, the ends of metal connecting rods are embedded respectively within both walls so as to secure them one to the other. Subsequently these connecting elements tend to be attacked by means of rust which affects their anchoring quality to such an extent that the external facing wall can potentially collapse. When it is still not too late, the connecting rods must therefore be replaced.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,633,638 teaches, besides the detection of the original tie rod, the removal of the facing bricks associated with these rods, the removal of these rods from the inner wall, boring orifices within the inner wall, within the regions of the original rods, for receiving replacement rods, sealing these orifices with an epoxy resin based mortar and embedding within the orifices thus sealed the undulating ends of new connecting rods, before inserting their other end within a joint defined between two bricks of the facing masonry, that is, an old brick and a new brick.
This method of replacing connecting rods is time-consuming and is particularly expensive.
The present invention provides a connecting element for double wall masonry whose positioning, for example when replacing another element, is simpler than the method of the prior art.
European Patent document EP 0 166 455 teaches an expansion wall-plug intended to be inserted within an anchorage hole, comprising an expansion assembly with means for engagement upon the edge of the hole and an expandable socket with passage means for the engagement means and extending beyond the outer end of the engagement means so as to be expanded by means of the expansion assembly under the action of a striking tool, with the expansion assembly engaged upon the edge of the hole from which the socket projects.
It will be noted that the tool for striking the socket so as to cause expansion thereof may be a very simple and ordinary tool.
It is from patent wall-plug of patent document EP 0 166 455 that the applicant had the idea of solving the problem raised within U.S. Pat. No. 4,633,638. He first sought to modify it, as such, before then adapting it to subsequently contemplated application.